The invention relates to a device for resection and/or ablation of organic tissue by means of high-frequency current, comprising, at a distal end, a loop that can be acted upon by high-frequency voltage.
Resection or ablation of organic structures is carried out, for example in hysteroscopy, to remove fibromas, polyps and tissue of the endometrium, and, in urology, to remove prostatic adenomas. Such resection or ablation of organic structures is conventionally performed using a resection instrument which, at the distal end, has an electrically conductive metal loop that can be acted upon by high-frequency current. To carry out a cutting procedure, the loop is subjected to monopolar or bipolar high-frequency voltage and, in order to make a cut intended to detach tissue, it is moved manually by the operating surgeon in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the resection instrument, specifically in a reciprocating movement, or only in one direction. The loop subjected to high-frequency current behaves in the manner of an electric scalpel. The loop in this way permits the detachment of tissue fragments of the same diameter. The bleeding associated with detachment of tissue can also be stanched using the same loop, after the tissue fragment has been released from the loop. The released tissue fragments must then be removed mechanically from the treatment area at another time.
A disadvantage of conventional devices of this kind for tissue resection by means of high-frequency current is that the duration of the intervention performed on the patient is protracted by the fact that the detached tissue fragments have to be removed from the treatment area by means of a further instrument, for example forceps. The duration of the intervention is protracted because it is necessary several times to change between the resection instrument for the process of detaching tissue and the removal instrument for the process of removing the detached tissue. A further disadvantage of the conventional devices is that their application is limited to the specific indication for which they are intended. Moreover, visual inspection is difficult with these devices.